Florida Senate Drops Film Bill's Gay-Unfriendly Mandate

A Florida Senate committee has amended
a bill that excluded films with gay characters from an incentive
package aimed at the film industry, the Palm Beach Post
reported.

Lawmakers hope the package of tax
credits and incentives will entice filmmakers to set up shop in
Florida. The bill's so-called family-friendly tax credit which
sought to discourage the production of movies that include depictions
of gay families created a storm of controversy when reported in the
media.

The requirement that a tax credit only
available to films that do not exhibit or imply “nontraditional
family values” has been stricken from the Senate version of the
bill sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz, a Republican from Niceville. In
a 22-to-2 vote, the bill cleared its first committee hearing on
Thursday.

Gay rights group Florida Together said
it was “delighted the discriminatory language was removed from the
Senate bill.”

“We thank the Senate for working with
us to craft a bill that can create jobs without discriminating
against a segment of Florida's families,” Georg Ketelhohn, chair of
the group, said in a statement.

A similar House version of the measure
offered by Representative Stephen Precourt, an Orlando Republican,
still contains the requirement. Last week, Representative Ari Porth,
a Democrat, removed his name from the measure after the Post
reported on the bill.